The Kitten That Befriended Konoha
by Multiple-Identities
Summary: A series of drabbles about a kitten that bounces from home to home, shinobi to shinobi, and the utter chaos that it causes. Crackfic.
1. Naruto

Naruto Uzumaki was not, by nature, a light sleeper.

However, being a shinobi required certain skills. Skills that Naruto, through sheer hard determination, had perfected. At least somewhat. Or, when it was necessary, anyway.

Like that morning, for instance.

The blond-haired boy had woken up early. Much too early to wake up on a day off, and Naruto Uzumaki did _not_ get many days off. It was a sound that woke him up. A quiet but persistent scratching noise that was grating on his ears and preventing him from sleeping. It was a shinobi's instinct not to ignore strange sounds in the night; especially when said sound was coming from his _window_.

Instantly awake from the oddness of the situation, Naruto slowly sat up and reached for the shuriken hidden under his pillow.

The scratching noise paused, as if sensing his movement. The jinchūriki froze, fingertips brushing the concealed weapon. After a few tense seconds, the scratching noise started up again, louder this time.

Naruto decided that whoever was scratching at his window was not a shinobi. No decent shinobi would be stupid enough to make that much noise.

With that in mind, he swung his legs over the edge of his bed and approached his window. In his hand he clutched the shuriken, just in case. He doubted he would need it at this stage, but it was always a good idea to have a weapon nearby anyway.

He stopped in front of the curtains, readied himself for battle (again, just in case), and, holding his breath, he opened the drapes a sliver and peered outside.

Fully expecting to see a person crouching outside his window, Naruto was a bit jarred when he saw nothing. He blinked, confused. The scratching noise stilled, and he lowered his eyes to his windowsill.

The source of the scratching noise was sitting in front of him, all abnormally large eyes and pudgy cuteness.

It was a kitten.

Naruto was half-relieved, half-embarrassed.

He put the metal star on the desk beside him and opened the window, staring down at the small black kitten. It stared back at him, green eyes wide and completely innocent.

"Man," he said with a sigh, rubbing his eyes to clear the sleep out of them. "It's just some cat."

It stared at him.

"What are you doing scratching at my window?" Naruto asked the cat, fully aware that it wouldn't answer back. "Did you think I was your owner or something?"

His neighbours didn't own any cats. At least to his knowledge. The owner of the building didn't permit pets, but a woman a few apartments away snuck a little white dog in. Sometimes he saw it at the window, wagging its stubby tail.

There were no cats, though.

"Eh, whatever," he muttered, running a hand through his spiky hair. "Just don't wake me up again."

As he went to shut the window, the kitten have a pathetic mewl.

Naruto cringed.

"I'm not feeding you," he told the kitten. "I'm not your owner, so you might as well give up and go away."

He shut the window, and the kitten stared at him through the glass with wide eyes. He shut the curtains, refusing to be sucked in by the kitten's adorableness.

"What a weird cat," Naruto said to himself, yawning widely and shuffling back over his bed.

The whiskered boy collapsed onto his stomach and lay there, face buried in his pillow. It was much too early to get up, and Naruto wanted to get at least a few more hours of sleep before getting up.

He would need his energy for later. He was going to spend the day training with Team 8. Naruto _still_ wasn't sure how he had been roped into that, but he wouldn't turn down a day of training.

Naruto was on the brink of falling asleep once more when the scratching noise started up again. He growled into his pillow and tried to ignore it.

The scratching noise continued.

After a full two minutes of listening to the annoying sound, the shinobi groaned and sat up again, glaring at the covered window.

When the noise still didn't stop, he got up and walked over to the window, pulling open the curtains a second time. The kitten stopped and stared at him, looking even more pathetic than last time.

"What's your problem?" Naruto hissed though clenched teeth. "I don't have any cat food! Shoo, you stupid cat!"

It did nothing of the sort.

In fact, it sat down.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He hooked his fingers under the window and opened it again, trying to shoo the cat away with his hands.

"Go! Go away!" The kitten merely battered harmless at his fingers, looking amused. Naruto promptly gave up. "Ugh, fine. Stay there. Just _stop_ scratching."

It mewled a tiny pathetic squeak.

Naruto was not immune to its cuteness.

"Alright, _fine_. Just... stay right here," he said, backing away from the window. "I'll get you some milk or something..."

If he gave it something to eat, maybe it would go away. Hopefully back to its proper owners. That is, if it even _had_ any owners. Naruto didn't see a collar, but the kitten was clearly too used to humans to be a stray.

Maybe he should just keep it, since it seemed so intent on staying.

Naruto dismissed that thought immediately. He wasn't _allowed_ any pets. The woman might be okay with risking her apartment, but Naruto certainly wasn't. He couldn't afford another place to live, and he had grown rather fond of his apartment. He wasn't going to risk it for a random kitten.

But... maybe he could give it to someone else. At least to look after it for a while, until he found the kitten's owner.

As Naruto fetched a plate from the kitchen, as well as a jug of milk, he wondered who he should give the cat to.

It couldn't stay at his apartment. It didn't seem to want to leave, though. It wasn't a stray, but it didn't have a collar. Who could he give the cat to? Someone that would take good care of it, but would give it back should they find the cat's proper owner.

Who was kind and liked cute things?

Hinata Hyūga.

Naruto grinned.


	2. Hinata

"Um... I don't know if I'm allowed to, Naruto-kun..."

The kunoichi dithered nervously, a hand pressed against her chest. It was a substitute habit for pressing her fingers together. Hinata was slowly growing out of her nervous habits, but being around Naruto seemed to always bring them out again, no matter how hard she tried.

"Come on, please?" Naruto pleaded, holding up the tiny black kitten. "I can't take care of this little guy, but I'm sure his owners are out looking for him. Can't you just keep him hidden away in your room or something? Just for a few days, I promise, then I'll work something else out."

Hinata blushed, looking at the ground shyly. How could she refuse Naruto-kun? Especially when he was asking her so nicely...

And the kitten _was_ awfully cute.

Surely her father wouldn't be mad if she looked after a kitten for a few days... Would he? Maybe he didn't have to find out. If she was careful, she could do this for Naruto _and_ avoid getting into trouble.

Yes, she would be careful.

"O-okay. I'll do it," she said timidly. _I must not press my fingers together, I must not press my fingers together, I must not..._

"Yes! Thanks, Hinata, you're the best!" Naruto grinned, shoving the kitten at her.

Hinata's face inflamed when his fingers brushed her chest, but she hardly had time to dawdle on the subject since she now had a wiggling ball of fur in her hands.

"I'll pick him up in a few days," he said with a smile, then turned and ran over to Kiba and Akamaru.

Hinata stood there for a few seconds, blushing uncontrollably. _Naruto-kun said I was the best..._

She looked down at the tiny creature in her hands. It looked back up at her, eyes wide, and meowed quietly. She melted a little on the inside.

But her father... oh, he would be so mad if he discovered the kitten. He didn't like pets of any kind, least of all ones that shed fur. She would have to be extra careful to keep the kitten hidden from him.

And then there was the matter of kitten food, and a litter box, and a pet bed... and Neji Nii-san...

"Only for you, Naruto-kun," she whispered to herself, hugging the little kitten close.


	3. Hinata 2

Hinata was quite proud of herself.

She had managed to sneak into the Hyūga compound, Kitten tucked away in her jacket, undetected. For a clan who specialized in vision, it was alarmingly easy to sneak the furry animal into her room without being caught.

Though Hanabi did give her a strange look as she walked past, so maybe Hinata wasn't being as inconspicuous as she hoped...

The kitten stayed quiet, as if sensing the need to be stealthy.

When Hinata finally made it to her room, she shut the door and quickly took the kitten out. It looked up at her, adorable and compliant.

"Hello, Kitten-chan," Hinata cooed down at it, unable to help herself. "You'll be living with me for a while, but you can't be seen, okay? You can't leave my room..."

Fortunately, Hinata had a rather large room. The kitten wouldn't be cramped, and had plenty of space to move around in.

"Um," she said quietly, biting her lip. She still needed kitten supplies. "I have to leave for a while, so you be good."

She put the kitten down on the floor. It sniffed around for a bit, before looking up at her with wide, green eyes.

"Stay there," she said softly, backing away from it. "I'll be back soon, Kitten-chan."

After making sure the kitten wasn't following her, Hinata quickly left the room, shutting the door on her way out.

The kitten sat on the ground for a long time, staring after her. It was hungry, and wondering if the girl would bring it back some food. When she didn't come back, the kitten grew bored with sitting and set about to exploring its new surroundings.

The kitten had a fun time exploring. It discovered two other rooms, one almost completely white that smelled strongly of lavender, and the other slightly musky, filled with rows of hanging clothes. The kitten climbed around on the shoes in that room for a while, before venturing back out into the bigger room.

There was a huge bed in the center of the room, leaning up against the wall. The pale sheets fell over the sides, shielding the gap between the bed and the floor from view.

The kitten found it and squeezed underneath, deciding that the dark area under the bed was a good place to nap.

It wasn't long before the door to Hinata's room opened.

Furry ears perked up, and the kitten immediately bounded out. It was still very hungry, and hoping to get some food from the woman that smelled like lavender.

Except, it wasn't Hinata that stood in the doorway.

Clutching her sister's newly washed and folded clothes to her chest, Hyūga Hanabi stood in the doorway, staring at the kitten with wide eyes.


	4. Hanabi

"Where did..."

Hanabi trailed off. So that's why Hinata looked so nervous before. Not that her sister wasn't naturally a nervous person, but Hinata looked _extra_ nervous today.

The young Hyūga looked down at the kitten. It meowed at her plaintively.

Why had Hinata smuggled in a kitten?

Hanabi glanced around the room. Hinata wasn't anywhere in sight. She must have gone out again, leaving the kitten in her room. Hanabi couldn't see any food or water dishes, though. The poor kitten must be hungry. Or at the very least thirsty.

What was Hinata thinking, bringing an animal here? Their father would be furious.

_He doesn't need to know_, a small voice said at the back of her head. Hanabi wasn't the type to disobey her father, but surely a single kitten couldn't do much damage. It was so small and cute, and Hinata must have been pretty attached to the kitten to risk bringing it to their compound.

Hanabi couldn't hurt Hinata by turning the kitten over to their father. She couldn't.

She walked into the room, setting Hinata's clothes on the edge of her bed. The kitten weaved between her legs, meowing pathetically.

_But Hinata didn't feed it_, she thought, frowning. _Maybe... I should bring it some food..._

"Hinata?"

Hanabi flinched.

That was Neji.

She hurriedly snatched up the kitten and... _and what_!? Where could she put a kitten on such short notice where Neji wouldn't see it? Where could she hide a _kitten_!?

She shoved it down her shirt.

Wait, just how had Hinata snuck the kitten in any way? Had _she_ hidden it down her jacket? Hanabi quickly dismissed these thoughts, trying to look as innocent as possible. An easy feat for her.

Neji peered around the corner, knocking on the slightly ajar door.

"Hinata, Hiashi-sama wants to speak with you," he said, before realizing that the only one in the room was Hanabi.

"Hinata isn't here," she said, trying to ignore the feeling of claws pricking her skin. "I was just putting her clothes on her bed. She left a few minutes ago."

"Very well," he said, turning and leaving without even a goodbye. Not that she was expecting one.

Hanabi hastily left the room, not wanting to push her luck.

She would hide the kitten in her room until Hinata returned. That way, she could make sure no one found it. If Hanabi hadn't been there and Neji entered the room, he would have seen the kitten and reported it back to her father.

And Hiashi would _not_ be impressed.

_You owe me for this, Nee-San._


	5. Neji

Hyūga Neji decided that everyone at the Hyūga compound had either had their minds taken over by an enemy shinobi, or were up to something.

First Hanabi was acting strange. She rarely left her room, and when she did it wasn't for very long. And Neji had spotted her taking an entire jug of milk with her at one stage, along with some raw minced beef from fridge. Unless Hanabi had discovered some strange new diet that he wasn't aware of, he doubted that food was for her.

Then there was Hinata.

Neji had been waiting at the entrance for her, deciding it was easier than searching for her throughout Konoha. It wasn't long before Hinata leapt nimbly out of the trees surrounding their compound, a shopping bag hanging loosely on one arm.

"Hinata," he said, walking over to her.

The girl squeaked and dropped her bag in fright, spilling out a couple of items. Neji frowned at the strange behaviour, then walked over to help her pick her things up.

"Hiashi-sama wants to see you," he said at once, finally able to deliver his message.

"O-okay," she stuttered, cheeks tinted pink.

Oh, she was back to stuttering.

Hinata hadn't stuttered with him since the Chūnin Exam. He was glad when she grew out of it-to everyone but Naruto, that is-and he _really_ didn't want her picking up that annoying habit again. It was unbecoming of a Hyūga.

Unless, of course, she was stuttering because she was hiding something from him.

Neji picked up a tin of petfood, staring down at it in confusion.

"What is this?" Neji asked.

"U-um..." He looked at her, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "I-i-it's for Kiba! F-for Akamaru. He asked me to p-pick some up for him."

"...He asked for cat food?"

"...Yes."

Even more suspicious, Neji handed his cousin the tin of _cat _food. For Akamaru-who was a _dog_. Something was definitely not right here, and Neji was going to get to the bottom of it.

"T-thank you," she said, hurriedly getting back up. "I'll go see father right away."

Hinata beat a hasty retreat, leaving Neji confused and agitated. He _hated_ not knowing what was going on, especially in his own home. It was unfitting for a shinobi such as himself. He _needed_ to find out why his cousins were both acting strange, one way or another.

As silent as a leaf drifting on the wind, Neji followed his cousin.


	6. Hanabi and Hinata

Hinata froze when she arrived at her room.

The door was slightly open, and she clearly remembered _closing_ the door before she left.

Hugging the bag of cat items to her chest, Hinata hesitantly stepped into her room. She hoped the kitten hadn't noticed the door open and escaped, because the last thing she wanted was a cat loose in the Hyūga compound.

There was a pile of clothes on her bed.

Oh, Hanabi had been here.

_Hanabi!_

Hinata quickly put the bag on her bed next to her clothes, then made a direct beeline to her sister's room.

Hanabi must have seen the kitten! Hinata supposed it was better than Neji or her father finding the little creature, but she really didn't want _anyone_ to find it. Not that she didn't trust her younger sister. It was just that Hinata wound have preferred if she was the only one who knew about the kitten.

Fortunately Hanabi's room wasn't very far away. Hinata stopped in front the door, flustered. _Please let the kitten be here_, she thought, knocking her fist on the wooden surface. _Please, please, please. I can't let Naruto-kun down..._

The door opened a crack, and a pale eye peered out.

"Hinata," Hanabi said with a sigh, looking relieved.

"Hanabi," she replied quietly, fidgeting nervously. "Thank you for bringing my clothes to my room."

Hanabi narrowed her eyes at Hinata.

"You're welcome," she said.

"U-um... did you... did you see...?"

Hanabi opened the door a little more and stepped aside. Hinata peered in and saw the kitten instantly. It was beside Hanabi's bed, eating something off of a plate that looked like a disgusting mix of milk and beef.

"Isn't milk bad for cats?" Hinata asked uncertainly.

"I thought kittens liked milk," Hanabi muttered with a frown.

"Th-they do. It's just that cow milk is bad for cats," she explained, shifting nervously. "I don't think a little bit is going to make it sick, but a lot might..."

"Oh," her sister said quietly, frowning. "I didn't know that..."

The two stood in awkward silence for a few moments, then Hanabi opened the door fully and gestured for Hinata to come inside. The older Hyūga didn't hesitate, not wanting to be caught standing outside her sister's room looking extremely out-of-place.

"So," Hanabi said, "mind explaining why you snuck a cat in?"

"Naruto-kun asked me to look after it for him..." Hinata replied softly, hand against her chest.

Hanabi fought the urge to roll her eyes.

_Of course it was Naruto_, she thought.

"What if Father finds out?" Hanabi asked, staring at the kitten.

"I-i'll get rid of it," Hinata muttered. Hanabi looked at her sister in shock. "I'll give it to someone else to look after... if only for a little bit..."

"Who's going to want to look after a kitten?"

"I don't know..."

"Why do you even have a cat to begin with?"

The unimpressed voice caught both girls off-guard. They whirled around and saw Neji standing at the door, arms folded and eyes narrowed.


	7. Hanabi, Hinata and Neji

"Neji!" Hanabi exclaimed, her heart giving a lurch. She hadn't shut the door!

Hinata merely paled, unable to even voice her shock.

"Why did you bring a cat here?" Neji asked, staring at Hinata. "You know Hiashi-sama doesn't approve of pets in this house."

Hinata squeaked.

"It's only temporary," Hanabi quickly interjected. Neji turned his glare to her instead. "Hinata's looking after it for someone. It'll be gone soon. Right, Hinata?"

"Y-yes," Hinata managed to say.

"Even still," Neji muttered. "Your father wouldn't be happy to find out about this."

"He doesn't need to know," Hanabi said.

"You plan on lying to Hiashi-sama?"

"It's not lying if he doesn't know," the youngest Hyūga replied. "Please, Neji. It's only for a few days. It's not like we're asking you to lie for us. We just don't want Father to find out."

"P-please Neji Nii-san," Hinata begged.

Neji inwardly sighed. Hanabi was bad enough, but Hinata? He couldn't say no to her. Especially when she looked at him like _that_. All doe-eyed and adorable.

Besides, so long as he didn't mention it to Hiashi, it wasn't _technically _lying.

This time Neji did sigh. A sigh of defeat.

"Very well," he said. "I won't mention this to Hiashi-sama."

Hanabi looked awfully pleased with herself.

"_However_," Neji continued, narrowing his pale eyes at the two girls, "I want nothing to do with this. If you're caught, that's your own fault. If something happens to the kitten, don't come crying to me. I won't be sympathetic. Understand?"

"Crystal," Hanabi grinned.

Neji closed his eyes for a few seconds, before turning and walking back out of the room. He was _already_ regretting his decision.


	8. Hiashi

Hiashi had started to notice a change in his two daughters.

It wasn't that Hinata and Hanabi didn't get along. They did. Quite well, in fact. It was just that they rarely spent so much time together, and when they did it usually involved training.

...Not hibernating in their rooms.

When Hiashi asked Neji about their sudden closeness, the boy coughed awkwardly and excused himself to go off and train with his teammates. Hiashi was confused by this, but decided to let it go. His nephew was prone to random fits of nonstop training, and Hiashi was used to that sort of behaviour.

So he turned a blind eye to his daughters, assuming it was just a phase. They hadn't done anything wrong, and it wasn't interfering with Hinata's missions (she didn't actually _have_ any missions), so he decided to just ignore it for the time being.

He ignored it the next day as well.

On the third day, however, he decided to draw the line.

Hinata seldom left her room, and Hanabi kept sneaking food in when she thought he wasn't looking. It wasn't a habit he wanted to continue, so Hiashi decided to put a stop to their nonsense before it got even more out of hand.

It was late in the afternoon when he decided to head towards Hinata's room. As he approached, he heard giggling and talking coming from inside, followed by the sound of... chimes? Or a small bell of some sort.

Hiashi's forehead scrunched up in confusion.

He knocked on the door, and the noises came to a stop.

"Y-yes?" Hinata's hesitant voice called out.

"Hinata, I'm coming in," Hiashi warned.

After waiting a few seconds, Hiashi opened the door and stepped into his eldest daughter's room.

At first everything looked normal. Well, not normal, but not really suspicious. Hinata and Hanabi were both sitting on the carpet, legs tucked under them. They both had guilty expressions on their faces, but Hinata by far looked most uncomfortable.

He opened his mouth to inquire about their odd behaviour, when a tiny meow sounded from under the bed.

Hiashi stared as a tiny kitten emerged, a small toy in its mouth. The kitten dropped the toy and it made a chiming sound as it hit the floor. All at once, everything made sense.

Hiashi was _not_ pleased.

"Hinata," he said firmly, narrowing his pale eyes at her, "we need to talk."


	9. Shino

"A-and that's why I'm asking you to look after kitten-chan," Hinata said, eyes downcast.

Shino Aburame stared at her blankly.

If anyone else had come to him with a kitten and asked him to take care of it for a few days, Shino would have turned around and walked away from them. Far, far away.

Hinata, however, was a teammate, and she rarely asked anything of him. Besides, it was just for a few days, perhaps even less. Naruto was looking for the kitten's owner. Surely it wouldn't take _that_ long to find someone missing a kitten.

And really, how hard could looking after a baby animal be?

"Very well," he said, staring down at the black creature purring happily in Hinata's arms.

"Thank you, Shino," she smiled at him, eyes lighting up.

When Hinata had first come to him, she had been highly distressed. Her father, of course, had refused to let her keep the kitten. He was furious (in his own dangerously quiet sort of way) that she even tried to sneak it past him. Hinata, not wanting to disappoint Naruto, but also not wanting to anger her father, had gone to the first person she thought of.

That turned out to be Shino.

The bug-user was surprised that she had chosen him. After all, Kiba was the beast expert on their team, not him. Surely he would be better suited for the job. That is, if his clan wasn't full of dogs that may very well mistake the tiny kitten as an easy snack.

Or, at least, that was Hinata's main worry. Shino thought that the Inuzuka hounds were much too well-trained for that sort of behaviour, but Hinata didn't want to risk it.

She handed over a bag of kitten supplies and then, after snuggling 'kitten-chan' one last time, handed it over to him as well.

Shino had never felt so out-of-place when he cradled the kitten to his chest, and he still wasn't quite sure how his father would react to this. Hopefully not negatively, like Hiashi.

"This means a lot to me," she said, smiling up at him.

Hinata looked happy again, though. At least there was that.


	10. Shibi

Something was upsetting the kikaichū.

Shibi frowned, trying to ignore the nagging panic of the insects at the back of his mind. It wasn't uncommon for them to randomly become agitated. Usually it involved birds, or spiders, or some other form of insect-eating creature that wondered onto the Aburame compound.

As much as he hated to admit it, there were millions of kikaichū. A few missing wouldn't make much of a difference. And they had such a short lifespan as well, so repopulation wasn't much of an issue when a few happened to be swallowed up. There were always more to take their place within hours.

Right now, however, the source of the insect's annoyance was coming from _inside_ his house, and _that_ was a cause for concern.

From his son's room, in fact, which was even more worrying.

Shibi frowned from behind the safety of his jacket collar.

Shino, clan prodigy that he was, very rarely caused a disturbance of any kind. He was a quiet boy who mostly kept to himself, like any good Aburame. His insects were well-behaved, and Shino had excellent control over them.

So why were so many kikaichū panicking from within his bedroom?

_How peculiar_, Shibi thought, wondering if he should investigate.

On one hand, he didn't want to be intrusive. Aburame were extremely private people, and everyone within the clan respected each other's boundaries. It was an unspoken rule that everyone followed without question. Entering his son's bedroom uninvited wasn't exactly very respectful.

But... what if something went wrong? His son was a clan prodigy, yes, but he wasn't immortal. Shibi still vividly remembered the day he found Shino lying on a branch, slowly dying from poison. Although he understood that being a shinobi came with many risks (oh, how he knew) he was still Shino's father, and he still worried about the boy.

Shibi hesitated at Shino's bedroom door. He made sure to flare his chakra, so his son at least knew it was him standing outside, then raised his fist and knocked.

The door creaked opened.

The Aburame blinked in surprise, before realizing that Shino wasn't even _in_ his room.

This was even more alarming. If Shino wasn't in his room, then why were the kikaichū so flustered? Was there an intruder, perhaps? Shibi doubted it, but he couldn't be too sure. It could, after all, be a threat to his son. If the kikaichū were worried, then maybe he should be too.

Shibi prepared himself for combat, releasing a small cluster of kikaichū from his body. Slowly, he pushed the door open and peered inside, half-expecting an enemy shinobi to launch out at him.

Imagine his surprise when, instead of a dangerous opponent, he saw a tiny black kitten in the middle of the room, staring at him with impossibly wide eyes.

Shibi, for the first time in his life, felt very tempted to laugh at himself for being overly cautious.

Okay, so not an enemy shinobi. Not an assassination attempt. Not even a threat.

Shibi relaxed, calling his kikaichū back.

_Why_ did his son have a kitten in his room? Where was Shino? Out training, most likely.

As Shibi watched, a lone kikaichū landed beside the kitten. It crouched down low, tail swishing side to side, before pouncing on the tiny insect and crunching it up within seconds.

Underneath his dark glasses, Shibi's eye twitched.


	11. Kiba and Hana

"So, yeah, now we have to look after this cat," Kiba Inuzuka finished explaining, holding up the kitten by the scruff of the neck. Akamaru woofed in agreement.

Hana ran a hand through her untied hair. It was too early in the morning for this.

"Let me get this straight," she said, pulling a hair-tie off her wrist. "Naruto found this kitten outside his window, and for some reason decided it was his duty to find the owners. So he gave it to Hinata to look after, but her father refused to let her keep the cat even for a few days. So she gave it to Shino, but the kitten kept eating the kikaichū. So _he_ gave it to _you_ to look after, and now we're baby-sitting this random kitten that could quite possibly be a stray?"

"Well, yeah," Kiba replied, staring at the animal dangling from his hand.

Hana sighed. She grabbed her hair in a fist and quickly tied it up. She had to look at one of the dogs in a few minutes-a pregnant one that was due to give birth any day now-and she really didn't have the time to convince her younger brother to give the cat to someone else.

"Did you tell Mum about this?"

"No," Kiba muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Not yet, anyway. I'll tell her when she wakes up."

"Do you have kitten food for it?" Hana narrowed her eyes at the kitten, tilting her head slightly. "_Her_."

"It's a girl?" Kiba frowned, glancing at the kitten. "Uh, yeah. Shino gave me a bag of things for it-_her_. There's kitten food in there."

"Good. Don't give her milk," the older Inuzuka ordered sternly, turning and walking towards the front door. She stopped, hand on the knob, and glanced back at her brother. "Don't give her string, either. She might eat it."

"I know that. It's the same with dogs."

Hana nodded and left, leaving Kiba to look after the kitten.

He glanced down at her. The kitten meowed, struggling in his hold. With a sigh, Kiba glanced down at his faithful white hound.

"Looks like it's up to us now, Akamaru," he said. The giant dog woofed and wagged his tail. "Yeah, so long as we keep her in our room, she won't get into any trouble."

The cat let out another drawn out meow, kicking at the air.

"Come on, I need to put this cat down before she hurts herself," Kiba said, holding a hand under her tail just in case she managed to slip out of his hold. Although he wasn't really a cat person, Kiba didn't like seeing _any_ animal in distress. He would rather her on the ground and happy than thrashing about in his hold where she could hurt herself. "Then we'll go see if that dog's had her pups yet, okay?"

Akamaru gave a happy bark in response.


	12. Akamaru

It was night-time, and Akamaru wasn't happy.

The kitten, as it turned out, didn't like dogs. She was also either incredibly stupid or extremely brave, because she didn't hesitate to make her dislike known every time he tried to go near the bed.

Twice now he'd been scratched on the nose, and although the kitten was small, her claws _hurt_.

Akamaru only wanted to sleep beside his master, but the kitten was on the bed and she had no intention of letting him near.

Akamaru could have easily overpowered her with his size, but really, it wouldn't have been very fair. The kitten was the same size as his paw, for crying out loud, and Akamaru was worried about unintentionally harming her. Kiba wouldn't be very impressed to find out his dog crushed the kitten by accident while trying to move her out of the way.

Still, it was getting annoying. He would approach the bed, trying to look as small and unaggressive as possible, and she would arch up and hiss at him anyway.

It was a laughable display, really. Akamaru had taken on foes one-hundred times her size and won. The kitten wasn't at all intimidating.

Actually, no. His nose was pretty damn intimidated.

Sitting down in the middle of the room, Akamaru began to whine unhappily. After a few moments Kiba sat up and tiredly rubbed at his eyes, squinting at his dog in the darkness.

"What is it, boy?" Kiba asked. Akamaru yipped, giving the kitten a look. "Huh? Don't tell me you're jealous of the cat."

A negative whine.

"No? Then what's wrong? Is the cat bothering you?" A positive bark. "Are you scared of her or something?"

Demonstration was quicker and more efficient.

Akamaru got up and slowly approached the bed. The kitten began growling at the back of her throat, but he ignored it in favour of approaching his master. When he grew too close for the kitten's liking, she stood up and hissed at him, swiping a tiny paw at his nose.

He stepped back, refusing to be hit a third time.

"The kitten's _bullying_ you?" Kiba said incredulously. Akamaru whined, and Kiba burst out laughing. The dog glared at his master in annoyance. "She's so tiny! How are you letting a _kitten_ push you around? Just ignore her!"

Akamaru sat down again, growling softly. Kiba stopped laughing.

"Huh?" Another growl, louder this time. "Alright, alright. I'll do something about it. No need to get all pissed off on me."

Kiba rubbed the back of his head and looked down at the kitten, who was watching Akamaru warily.

"Sorry," he said. "Akamaru was here first. If you can't get along with him, you'll have to sleep with someone else."

She mewled at him.

"You can sleep in Mum's room," Kiba told her, picking the kitten up by the scruff of the neck and swinging his legs over the side of his bed. "She'll know how to handle you, at least."

Akamaru watched them go, feeling victorious.


	13. Tsume

"Seriously?"

Tsume Inuzuka stared at her son.

"Yeah, seriously," he replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"You seriously woke me up in the middle of the night because you can't handle a single cat?" Tsume reiterated, narrowing her eyes irritably.

"It's not like that," Kiba sighed.

"I didn't raise my son to be a quitter."

"Akamaru's the one who can't handle her!" Kiba snapped.

"Don't yell at me, boy!" Tsume shouted right back, standing to her full height and glaring down at her son. "You're the one who woke me up at some ungodly hour in the morning, askin' me to take care of a cat that _you're_ supposed to look after!"

Kiba backed down, grumbling under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Sorry," he muttered, glaring at the frame of the door.

"Damn right you're sorry," she growled. "Look, I'll take care of the cat tonight, but you better be more organized in the mornin', you hear me? You said you would take care of it, so you're taking care of it. End of story."

"Yes, Mum," he said, humbled.

"Good," she replied, nodding. She looked down at the cat in her son's hand, narrowing his eyes at her. "You got it's litter box? I am _not_ dealing with that first thing in the morning."

"Yeah, I'll go get it," Kiba said, handing the kitten over to his mum before turning and heading back to his room.

The woman grunted, holding the kitten by the scruff of her neck. Huge green eyes looked up at her innocently.

"And to think, Akamaru was scared of you," she muttered incredulously. "Tch, that boy's not raisin' Akamaru right if he can't handle a single kitten. Guess we'll have to show them a thing or too about toughin' it out, huh Kuromaru?"

"Guess so," the dog said gruffly, glaring at the kitten with his uncovered eye.

The kitten glared right back.


	14. Naruto 2

Contrary to popular belief, Naruto didn't just live off ramen.

He liked it, yes. Ramen were convenient for missions, easy to make at home, and tasted amazing, but even Naruto knew that eating too much of one thing got boring after a while. He liked variety now and then, especially when he was in the mood to actually cook himself something half-way decent.

Which meant, of course, that he had to go shopping once in a while. Not just go and eat at Ramen Ichiraku (although more often than not, he went there after shopping anyway, because the food there was just too addictive for him to resist).

Most of the time he bought non-perishables. He was well aware of his track record when it came to dairy. He _really_ didn't want a repeat of the last time he drank month-old milk, and he was pretty sure Sakura would maim him if he skipped training because he was stuck on the toilet. Again.

So he gravitated towards the dry-food section of stores. Like cereal, and other packeted food items. Things that wouldn't make him sick if he ate it a few days after the expiry date. Or a few weeks, whatever. Naruto wasn't fussy.

On this particular day, however, something different happened.

Naruto was standing in front of the fruit stall, looking at some oranges. Because hey, it didn't hurt to look even if he wasn't a big fruit eater, right? Besides, he liked the occasional fruit. If they were cheap and easy to eat, that is.

At first he didn't notice it. He was too busy poking different oranges, trying to find the ideal one to buy.

When he looked up to see the price, his eyes drifted to a bulletin board filled with notices and posters. The usual was there; job offers, resumes, advertisements. Nothing that interested Naruto.

Nothing, that is, until his eyes found a missing poster.

For a moment he just stared at it, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. His mind didn't quite register the picture until he read the bold print above it.

**REWARD; Lost kitten.**

He frowned, eyes going back to the picture.

It was a kitten. Tiny, black, huge green eyes.

And very, very familiar.

Naruto actually jerked in shock, eyes shooting back to the text.

He hastily reread it, realized that yes, it was in fact the kitten he found, memorized the address, and hurried off to go find Hinata.

But not before paying for his orange, of course.


	15. Kiba and Tsume

"The cat has to go."

Kiba stared at his mum in disbelief, toast half-way to his mouth. She stared back unabashedly.

"...What?"

"You heard me," she said gruffly, arms folded across her chest. "The cat can't stay here."

Kuromaru, who was standing beside her, nodded in agreement.

Kiba's eyes drifted to the kitten in Tsume's hand. She looked frighteningly innocent, but Kiba was beginning to wonder about that cat. Not many animals were able to best his mum, after all.

Or Akamaru, for that matter.

He glanced down at his mum's hound. The dog had a suspicious scratch across his nose, and was pointedly looking anywhere but the kitten, as though he was actually _embarrassed_. That was a first for Kuromaru.

Kiba was now officially wary of the little black feline.

"Okay," he said uncertainly. "I guess I'll... give it to someone else."

"Yeah," Tsume replied, somewhat awkwardly. "What about that little Gai look-alike? The one that's always running laps around the village and proclaiming his youth or something stupid like that. Someone as devoted as him could handle looking after... this."

She hefted the cat. The kitten meowed in response.

"Lee?" Kiba said, blinking in shock. Yeah, Lee could handle _anything_. There was no challenge too great for that boy. In fact, he'd probably be _happy_ to take on the responsibility of looking after this nightmarish animal. Naruto probably should have taken the kitten to him in the first place, actually. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Lee can take care of it."

And if he couldn't, _no one _could.


	16. Lee and Kiba

"Eight-hundred and eighty-nine! Eight-hundred and ninety! Eight-hundred and ninety-one! Eight-hundred and ninety-two!"

"Uh, Lee?"

"Eight-hundred and ninety-three! Eight-hundred and ninety-four!"

"Lee?"

"Eight-hundred and ninety-five! Eight-hundred and ninety-six! Eight-hundred and ninety-seven!"

"Lee!"

Said shinobi glanced up, half-way through his eight-hundred and ninety-eighth push up.

"O-oh! Kiba-san. I am sorry, I did not see you there," he said in a strained voice, continuing his exercise. He counted inside his head, feeling it was impolite to keep counting out loud when being spoken to. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"There is, actually," the brown-haired shinobi replied, absently wondering if Lee had really done almost nine-hundred push ups. Than again, this _was_ Lee. "I was wondering if you could look after a cat for a while. A week at most."

"A cat?" Lee echoed, pressing down on his thumbs as he lowered himself back to the ground. "I did not know you had a cat, Kiba-san."

"It's not mine," Kiba told him. "I was looking after it for someone else, but it doesn't get along with any of the dogs, so my mum doesn't want it in the house anymore."

"Oh, that is unfortunate."

"Yeah. So, can you look after it?"

"I do not see why not," Lee said, finishing his nine-hundredth push up. He shoved himself off the ground and bounced to his feet, giving his comrade his full attention. "I will take very good care of it!"

He flashed his trademark grin, giving Kiba a thumbs-up.

"Thanks," Kiba replied, lifting a bag of supplies. "This has everything you'll need in it. Cat food, litter box, toys and whatnot. I'll bring the kitten over to your place later."

Akamaru barked, wagging his tail in thanks. No more sleepless nights thanks to demonic kittens!

"Very well," Lee said happily. "I just need to complete fifty laps around the village and three-hundred more chin ups, then I will meet you at my apartment! If I do not make it in time, I must double-no, _triple_ that amount! You can count on me, Kiba-san! Your cat will be in very good hands!"

Kiba _almost_ felt sorry for the kitten.


	17. Naruto, Hinata and Neji

"Hinata!"

The unexpected shout startled the shy Hyūga into faltering, and as a result she was almost kicked in the head by her training partner. Hinata ducked just in time and sprang backwards, putting some distance between her and her cousin, Neji.

Cheeks tinted pink, Hinata glanced over at the person who called her name. Once she realized who it was, pink slowly turned to red.

"N-Naruto-kun," she stuttered, pressing her fingers together. A split second later she forced her hands down, not wanting to get back into the old habit.

"What do you want?" Neji asked, curt as always.

Naruto ignored the curtness, running over to the two Hyūga with a shopping bag under one arm. He stopped just short of Hinata.

"Hinata," he repeated, bending over and panting slightly. "I've been looking all over for you."

"F-for me?" Hinata echoed, red spreading across her face.

"Yeah," he said, standing up straight again. "You know that kitten I gave you a few days ago? I need it back now. I think I know where it's owners live. I saw it on a missing flyer at the markets, and-why are you looking at me like that?"

Hinata's face drained of colour, and she turned away from him in shame.

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but I don't have it anymore," she whispered.

"Huh?" Naruto balked, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Her father discovered it and forced her to get rid of it," Neji replied.

"Get rid of-what do you mean get rid of it!?" Naruto exclaimed, looking disturbed. "Don't tell me he killed it!"

"No!" Hinata said quickly, pale eyes snapping back to the blond. "H-he just didn't want it in the h-house. I gave it to Shino to look after."

"Shino?" Naruto repeated. "Damn it. Now I have to go and find _him_."

"I'm sorry," Hinata said again, looking down at her feet.

"Nah, it's okay," he sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "You tried to tell me, remember? It's not your fault your father's a snob."

Hinata blushed, and Neji glared at Naruto in annoyance.

"Anyway," he continued, unperturbed, "I have to go find Shino. See you guys later!"

Naruto turned and sped off back into the trees, back towards the village. Neji watched him go with a cool expression, before turning back to his rattled cousin. At least she hadn't fainted...

"Shall we continue?" Neji asked, eager to finish their match.

"Oh! Y-yes," she replied, sliding back into a defensive stance.

* * *

**Author's notes**: Updates might be slower for a while, because I'm going to Ireland in a few days. It's a 30hour flight to get there, so I'll spend that time writing. :)

Also, I'd like to thank those who are reading and following this story. I never expected to get so many views. This was just a little thing to pass the time that's getting a surprising amount of attention. I have a few ideas, but I'm mostly just making it up as I'm going along. I do have an end result, though. Who do you want to see the kitten end up with next? ;)

If you spot any mistakes, please let me know. :P


	18. Lee and Kitten

Rock Lee made sure the kitten was comfortable in his laundry room.

He set up a litter box in the corner, food and water beside the door, and scattered her many toys all over the room. When Kiba brought the kitten over, she was immediately placed inside said room and out of harms way.

Lee was determined to be a good pet sitter. After all, his comrade entrusted him with this kitten, and Lee wasn't the type to fail.

At _anything_.

However, he wasn't the type to skip training either. Lee didn't want the kitten nearby when he trained, because he was worried he might accidentally step on her. Or roll on her. Or something equally horrible that might crush a tiny kitten. He wasn't going to take a chance, so he locked her in the laundry room where she would be safe.

This turned out to be a big mistake.

The kitten got bored easily, and when she realized her new food giver wasn't going to come back any time soon, she had to resort to other ways to entertain herself.

Namely, climbing on the furniture.

She hopped onto a plastic chair beside the door, then onto a self filled with cleaning items. She traversed across the self and ended up on the washing machine, which was fortunately turned off. From the washing machine she ended up on a tiny windowsill, peering outside.

It was then she noticed that the window was open a fraction.

Blissfully ignorant to the dangers of the outside world, the little black feline nudged her nose under the window and sniffed the fresh air. There was something pleasant smelling on the wind-something that smelled a lot nicer than what she had in her food bowl.

The kitten shoved her face under the window. After struggling and thrashing and getting stuck half-way, she managed to squeeze herself through the tiny gap and out onto the roof.

She was free.

Purring happily, she padded across the roof, leaving Lee's apartment behind her. She followed the smell of food without a care in the world.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Well, this is it. Last update for a few days.

Remember to review; it gives me motivation. :)


	19. Chōji, Shikamaru, and Ino

Akimichi Chōji, as usual, was eating a packet of potato chips and sitting beside Nara Shikamaru while they both waited for their third teammate.

"Man," Shikamaru said with a sigh, hands folded behind his head as he stared up at the sky. "She's always late. You'd think she would manage to get here on time just _once_."

"That's Ino for you," Chōji replied absentmindedly, sticking a chip in his mouth.

"Why are girls always late?" Shikamaru continued, watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky. "It's not like we're going anywhere fancy. She doesn't need to get all dressed up each and every time we have sparring session."

"She looks fine the way she is," Chōji agreed.

"Hm," the shadow-wielder hummed neutrally, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "I just wish she wouldn't keep us waiting. Woman are so troublesome."

"Huh?"

"I said: woman are so troublesome."

"No, I heard that," Chōji said. "I was just wondering where this cat came from."

"What cat?"

Shikamaru sat up and glanced over at his friend. Sure enough, there was a small black kitten sitting beside Chōji in the bench, staring at him with huge eyes. Or, rather, staring at his snack with wide eyes.

"Great, now your food is attracting strays," he said, giving the kitten a flat look.

"I don't think it's a stray," Chōji said, offering the creature a chip. The kitten ate it happily. "It's too well-fed."

"Whatever," Shikamaru replied. "You shouldn't feed it. Too much salt is bad for cats."

"It's just one chip," he said, petting the tiny creature. "I wonder who it belongs to."

"Hey," a voice called out.

"Oh, finally," Shikamaru said, turning his head towards the blond-haired kunoichi. "What took you so long? Oh, you know what? I don't care. Let's just get this started so we can finish and go home already."

"Don't be so impatient," Yamanaka Ino replied, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. Movement caught her eye, and she glanced down at the black creature beside Chōji. "Is that a cat?"

"Yep," Chōji said. "Do you know who it belongs to?"

"How should I know? I don't keep track of other people's pets. I don't even like cats."

"How can you not like cats?" Chōji asked.

"I don't like any furry animal. I have allergies," she replied with a sniff. She turned back to Shikamaru. "Anyway, let's get this over with. I'm running the shop tonight, and I still need to go shopping for a new set of kunai. My old ones are getting rusty."

"Alright," Shikamaru replied. "Come on, Chōji."

"Okay, hold on," he said, hanging the cat one last chip before standing up.

"If you're not careful, it'll follow you home," Ino told him, folding her arms across her chest.

"Nah," he replied. "Once it realizes that I'm not giving it anymore food, the kitten will leave. Don't worry."

Ino gave the kitten a look. It was staring at Chōji with big, green eyes, purring happily. It didn't look like it was leaving any time soon.

"If you say so..."


	20. Naruto, Shino, and Hinata

"Shino!"

The hooded Aburame stopped walking and inclined his head towards Naruto. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to, because once the blond caught up with him Naruto became a flurry of words.

"The cat - I gave Hinata a cat, and she said that she gave it to you because her father didn't want it in the house, because he's a snob and he hates cats or something. It's actually my cat - well, it's not _my_ cat, but I found it first, and now I need it back because I think I've found it's owners. Well, at least, I _hope_ I found it's owners, because apparently the cat belongs to this little boy in a wheelchair - at least, he was in a wheelchair in the picture - and I bet he's all sad because his cat's missing so I kinda want to give it back to him and make him happy again. So, can I have the kitten back?"

Shino stared silently at Naruto for a few seconds, before turning away again.

"I can't give it back to you," he said simply.

"What?" Naruto snapped, jumping in front of Shino and clenching his fists. "Why the heck not!?"

"Because," he said, giving Naruto a flat look. "I don't have it anymore."

"Huh?" Naruto deflated, anger instantly evaporating. "What do you mean you don't have it anymore? Where is it?"

"I gave it to Kiba," he replied.

"Kiba?" Naruto echoed. "Gah! Now I need to find _him_! Are you kidding me!?"

"I don't 'kid'," Shino said seriously. With that, he turned and continued walking.

Naruto walked him go, teeth grinding together in annoyance.

"Damn it," he hissed. "How hard is it to look after one kitten?"

"Naruto-kun?"

"Huh?"

He spun around, coming face-to-face with Hinata. The shy Hyūga blushed and took a step back, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"Um..." Hinata said quietly. "I... I heard that Shino doesn't have the kitten anymore..."

"Yeah," Naruto said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Now I have to find Kiba. Do you know where he is?"

"No. I don't. I'm sorry," she replied, frowning and looking down. "But I could help you look for him, if you want?"

"Are you sure? I thought you were training with Neji."

"We're finished for today," she said.

"Oh. In that case, yeah. I could use some help," Naruto replied, grinning widely. "Thanks, Hinata! You're amazing."

Her blush grew, and she smiled at the ground bashfully.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun..."


End file.
